The United Nations Security Council is to discuss on Tuesday new sanctions against North Korea.

The United Nations Security Council is to discuss on Tuesday new sanctions against North Korea.

The closed door meeting was called by the Security Council presidency for 11:00 am (1600 GMT). US and Chinese diplomats were to tell the other 13 council members of progress in their talks on action over the North's February 12 nuclear test.

"There won't be a vote on Tuesday, but it could come soon. This is a sign that a draft resolution is about to be handed out," a UN diplomat told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Details of the proposed new sanctions resolution were not immediately available.
Russia's UN ambassador Vitaly Churkin, the council president for March, said earlier Monday that the United States had not yet circulated a draft text on North Korea, but it was expected soon.

South Korean foreign ministry spokesman Cho Tai-Young told reporters in Seoul that "considerable progress" had been made on the wording of a resolution.
"But no full agreement has been reached yet," Cho said.

Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying refused to be drawn on details of any new sanctions, speaking to reporters in Beijing.

"We have made it clear that China is supportive of a proper and moderate response from the Security Council and we believe the reaction should be prudent and appropriate and should avoid escalating the situation," she said.

"Relevant action should be conducive to denuclearization, non-proliferation and the peace and stability of the Korean peninsula and the region," she added.

US ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice, has been in talks with her Chinese counterpart, Li Baodong, on sanctions since North Korea staged its third nuclear test.